Catfish Processing Down 1 Per cent From Last Year

US - Farm-raised catfish processed during August 2010 totaled 39.2 million pounds round weight, down 1 per cent from August 2009. The average price paid to producers was 79.0 cents per pound for August 2010, up 0.2 cent from last month and 2.1 cents above a year ago.

Net pounds of processed fish sold during August 2010 totaled 20.4 million pounds, up 10 per cent from the comparable month in 2009. Sales of fresh fish, at 6.84 million pounds, were up 4 per cent from August 2009 and represented 34 per cent of total sales. Frozen fish sales, at 13.5 million pounds, were up 14 per cent from a year ago and accounted for the remaining 66 per cent of total fish sales. Sales of whole fish represented 17 per cent of the total fish sold, fillets accounted for 61 per cent, and the remaining 22 per cent were mostly steaks, nuggets, and value added products. The total end of the month inventory decreased 7 per cent from last month and was down 11 per cent from a year ago.

The total fresh and frozen average price for August 2010 was $2.52, down 3 cents from a year ago. The average price received by processors for total fresh fish was $2.46 per pound, down 4 cents from last year. Prices for fresh whole fish were $1.58 per pound, down 11 cents from August 2009. Prices for fresh fillets were up 1 cent from a year ago at $3.22 per pound. Total frozen fish averaged $2.54 per pound, down 3 cents from August 2009. Prices for frozen whole dressed fish were up 2 cents at $2.25 and frozen fillets at $2.99 per pound were up 4 cents from a year ago.

Freshwater imports for consumption of Ictalurus spp., Pangasius spp., and other catfish of the order Siluriformes for July 2010 totaled 10.3 million pounds, down 5 per cent from the amount imported in July 2009. Imports were from Cambodia, Canada, China, Denmark, Indonesia, Mexico, Thailand and Vietnam. The Ictalurus spp. imports totaled 516 thousand pounds, which were from Canada, China, Denmark, Indonesia and Mexico.